Creativity is NOT just art, music, and drama. Creativity manifests in all domains and is also called divergent thinking. Everyone has creative moments, and it is important that all students, including the gifted, have opportunities to explore and pursue creative pursuits. While creativity is difficult to define, there are some common indicators:
Fluency: many ideas generated consistently
Flexibility: the types of categories in ideas can be placed
Originality: uniqueness and originality
Elaboration: level to which the idea is developed
Have you ever been disappointed by a G/T students lack of productivity, creativity, or motivation? Based upon Amabile's Model of Creativity, creative production occurs when three distinct areas converge: creative ability, domain knowledge, and motivation. If you want to encourage productivity, motivation, and creativity, it is important to be aware that giftedness may manifest in one area but not another; also be aware that creativity killers are dangerous to both productivity and creativity!
Common Creativity Killers
Surveillance: When a child is under too much observation, risk-taking and creative urges are less likely to occur.
Evaluation: When a child knows that their ideas and work will be valued because of the process instead of an end-grade or evaluation (either from peers or teacher), they are more likely to take creative risks.
Rewards: Rewards can limit creativity by eliminating intrinsic motivation.
Competition: Creative output is limited when students are put into win-lose situations; competition that emphasizes team success and team spirit may have the opposite effect.
Over-Control: When every detail is micromanaged, students may believe originality is not wanted or warranted.d
Restricting Choice: When students are always told what to do instead of being given options or being allowed to explore areas of personal interest, creative thinking is unlikely to occur spontaneously.
Pressure: The pressure to be "perfect" and to "get the right answers" limits creativity. This pressure may be external or internal.
Lack of Time: Open-ended periods of time for ideas to incubate are necessary for students to achieve the "flow" state. Flow occurs when an individual becomes completely absorbed in their creative process, almost "disappearing" into their own world. Without time specifically delineated for creative pursuits, divergent thinking is limited.
Creativity is NOT just art, music, and drama. Creativity manifests in all domains and is also called divergent thinking. Everyone has creative moments, and it is important that all students, including the gifted, have opportunities to explore and pursue creative pursuits. While creativity is difficult to define, there are some common indicators:
Fluency: many ideas generated consistently
Flexibility: the types of categories in ideas can be placed
Originality: uniqueness and originality
Elaboration: level to which the idea is developed
Have you ever been disappointed by a G/T students lack of productivity, creativity, or motivation? Based upon Amabile's Model of Creativity, creative production occurs when three distinct areas converge: creative ability, domain knowledge, and motivation. If you want to encourage productivity, motivation, and creativity, it is important to be aware that giftedness may manifest in one area but not another; also be aware that creativity killers are dangerous to both productivity and creativity!
Common Creativity Killers
Surveillance: When a child is under too much observation, risk-taking and creative urges are less likely to occur.
Evaluation: When a child knows that their ideas and work will be valued because of the process instead of an end-grade or evaluation (either from peers or teacher), they are more likely to take creative risks.
Rewards: Rewards can limit creativity by eliminating intrinsic motivation.
Competition: Creative output is limited when students are put into win-lose situations; competition that emphasizes team success and team spirit may have the opposite effect.
Over-Control: When every detail is micromanaged, students may believe originality is not wanted or warranted.d
Restricting Choice: When students are always told what to do instead of being given options or being allowed to explore areas of personal interest, creative thinking is unlikely to occur spontaneously.
Pressure: The pressure to be "perfect" and to "get the right answers" limits creativity. This pressure may be external or internal.
Lack of Time: Open-ended periods of time for ideas to incubate are necessary for students to achieve the "flow" state. Flow occurs when an individual becomes completely absorbed in their creative process, almost "disappearing" into their own world. Without time specifically delineated for creative pursuits, divergent thinking is limited.